Art from Cuba: Surrealism, Cubism and Modernist Primitivism
Cuban artistry is a contrasting multiethnic blend of African, European and North American aesthetic design reflecting the contrasting population make-up of the island. Cuban creatives espoused the European modernist movement and the early part of the 20th century witnessed an expansion in Cuban vanguardism trends; these movements were characterized by a variety of contemporary artistic genres. Some of the more celebrated 20th century Cuban artists were likely to come from the earlier 20th century.
Perhaps the most renowned piece of art to hail from Cuba was THAT picture of a certain Che Guevara (by Mr Alberto Korda) which went onto become arguably one of the most distinctive photographs of the 20th century.
The indigenous Cuban art cause accumulated momentum following the opening of the the art academy (San Alejandro) back in 1818, which was constructed to satisfy the European appreciation of the middle class population of Cuba. Towards the end of the 19th century, landscape paintings dominated Cuban art and classicism was still the favoured genre.
Nevertheless, the pioneering Cuban modern artists of the late 1920s had spurned the academic orthodoxies of Cuba’s national art academy. In their early years, many Cuban artists had lived in France, where they studied and took in the founding rules of cubism, surrealism and modernist primitivism. They returned to Cuba committed to new artistic methods and were eager to blend this new aesthetic persuasion with a Cuban influence. The pioneering artists achieved international acclaim back in 2003 when the Museum of Modern Art exhibited the the Modern Cuban Painting show.
